The news of the four Hen Harriers which disappeared mysteriously on grouse moors in Scotland is shocking. That is, shocking in the sense of morally reprehensible rather than really rather surprising. As I mentioned in my earlier blog, an interesting aspect of this news is the revelation that 12 young Hen Harriers have been discovered…
Tag: grouse moor
Four Hen Harriers disappear on Scottish grouse moors
Press release from RSPB: Margot – a Hen Harrier last heard from on 29 August from a driven grouse moor on the Aberdeenshire/Moray border. RSPB Scotland is appealing for information following the suspicious disappearance of four satellite tagged hen harriers over the last 10 weeks. All of the birds were tagged at various nest sites,…
KOS it makes sense!
I spoke at the Kent Ornithological Society’s conference in Canterbury on Saturday. I’d like to thank the organisers for inviting me and laying on a great day for us all. The road to Canterbury passes too close to Rainham Marshes to ignore them (and a Cattle Egret or two), and too close to Gravesend not…
Guest blog – the launch of Revive by Robbie Marsland
For the past 30 years Robbie has had a background in social change. He has held senior management roles in campaigns on the issues of homelessness, human rights, international development and animal welfare. He has been the Director of the League against Cruel Sports Scotland for the past four years and for six years before…
Bowland’s burning
This image, from a walker, shows moorland burning a few days ago on Forest of Bowland grouse moors. This burn was on the slopes of Conder Head. Now, the Duke of Westminster’s Abbeystead Estate has signed up to the voluntary agreement not to burn blanket bog – so was this a transgression? According to this…
Banning driven grouse shooting – a rising tide.
Let us start with a quote: 31 October 2016 Therese CoffeyI have heard the concerns of some hon. Members that birds of prey, particularly hen harriers, are deliberately being killed. The Government take the illegal persecution of raptors very seriously. On the missing hen harriers in the last fortnight, the matter has been referred to…
Wuthering Moors 76 – more moor burning
Michael Gove has asked moorland owners to be good boys (and girls – although all the landowners in the room at the time were actually men) and to stop damaging blanket bogs through burning them. Burning is carried out so that men (and a few women) can shoot lots of Red Grouse for fun as…
Policing the burning agreement
This was the example of moorland burning I saw on the northern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park three weeks ago. Does this comply with the voluntary agreement made by many grouse moors not to burn on blanket bogs? There are a couple of things that I would need to know before I could…
Are you sure you’ve identified the right one Crispin?
In The Times I read that Crispin Odey, self-confessed funder of YFTB has decided that Boris Johnson is the person he wants to lead the Conservative Party, and as soon as possible. It’s only a matter of five months ago that Michael Gove was the chosen one for Mr Odey. Blimey! Boris’s principled and reasonable…
Coffey says no!
A grouse shooter’s moll and Defra minister. Photo: Natural England In a closely argued, fact-packed and loquacious answer to a short question from Rachael Maskell MP (Central York, Labour) we learn much about the workings of Therese Coffey’s mind. Surely, rather than ‘no’, the grouse shooters’ moll meant ‘no comment, no comment, no comment‘? Michael…